Top 10 Biggest Scandals with Gate in the Title

The Top Ten
1 Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political controversy in the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974. It originated from attempts by the Nixon administration to conceal its involvement in the June 17, 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

Members of Richard Nixon's campaign burglarized the Democratic National Committee Headquarters located at the Watergate Hotel. This was followed by Nixon covering up his involvement. After revelations of his involvement and being threatened with impeachment, Nixon ultimately resigned in 1974.

Even though other gate scandals have been worse, this should stay at the top since it provided the naming basis for every gate scandal.

2 P***ygate The P***ygate scandal involved a leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, made lewd comments about women. The tape, released in October 2016, caused widespread outrage and had significant political repercussions.

While running for president, Donald Trump was caught on video having a racy chat involving women. Among the things said was Trump stating that you "grab them by the p*y."

3 Deflategate The Deflategate scandal was a National Football League (NFL) controversy involving the allegation that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ordered the deliberate deflation of footballs used in the Patriots' victory against the Indianapolis Colts during the 2014 AFC Championship Game. The controversy resulted in Brady being suspended for four games, while the team was fined $1 million and forfeited two draft selections in 2016.

In Spygate, the Patriots were caught videotaping the defensive signals of their opposition. In Deflategate, the balls were said to have been deflated following the AFC Championship game in 2015 by the Patriots.

I'm a Bills fan, so of course I'm voting for this one.

4 Bottlegate Bottlegate, also referred to as The Beer Bottle Game, was an officiating controversy that resulted in a fan riot during an American football game in the 2001 season of the National Football League (NFL) between the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns. The game was halted with 48 seconds remaining due to fans throwing bottles and other objects onto the field in protest of a reversed call.

Upset over a controversially overturned call late in the game, Browns fans threw bottles of beer onto the field, forcing the refs to end the game early.

5 Billygate Billygate was a scandal involving Billy Carter, the brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who accepted a $220,000 loan from the Libyan government in 1978. The scandal raised questions about influence-peddling and led to a Senate investigation.

President Jimmy Carter's brother Billy once legally represented the Libyan government as a foreign agent and received a $220,000 loan.

6 Bountygate The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, colloquially known as "Bountygate," was an illegal program in which the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) placed bounties on opposing players. The program operated from the 2009 season to the 2011 - 12 playoffs, leading to severe sanctions against the team and its staff.

Between 2009 and 2011, it was revealed that the Saints' defensive players had received financial rewards for an illegal bounty scheme run by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

7 Punchgate Punchgate was a controversy during the 2018 season of Celebrity Big Brother UK, where contestant Roxanne Pallett falsely accused fellow contestant Ryan Thomas of punching her. The incident led to widespread public backlash against Pallett and numerous complaints to the broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

On the UK's version of Celebrity Big Brother, actress Roxanne Pallett accused fellow housemate, actor Ryan Thomas, of deliberately and repeatedly punching her. Though Thomas received a warning despite not doing it out of viciousness, she was criticized for over-exaggerating the light play fighting. She has since called it a "horrible mistake" after leaving the house and seeing the footage.

8 Donutgate Donutgate was a controversy involving pop star Ariana Grande, who was caught on surveillance video in July 2015 licking donuts on display at a shop in California and saying "I hate America." The incident led to public outrage and a subsequent apology from Grande.

Ariana Grande was seen on video licking unpurchased doughnuts and stating, "I hate Americans. I hate America. That's disgusting." As a result of the investigation, she apologized and canceled her performance at the 2015 MLB All-Star game, citing oral surgery as the reason.

9 Fajitagate Fajitagate was a series of legal and political incidents in San Francisco that began with a street fight outside a neighborhood bar between three off-duty San Francisco Police officers and two local residents over a bag of fajitas. The scandal led to numerous civil and criminal complaints, police misconduct allegations, and the resignation of the city's Chief of Police and Deputy Chief of Police.

In November 2002, three off-duty San Francisco police officers allegedly assaulted two civilians over a bag of steak fajitas, which were mistaken for drugs. This led to the retirement of the chief of police and the firing of his successor.

10 Partygate Partygate refers to allegations that members of the UK government broke COVID-19 lockdown rules by attending parties at 10 Downing Street. The scandal resulted in widespread public outcry and calls for accountability from government officials.
The Contenders
11 Envelopegate Envelopegate is a scandal that emerged in 2017 involving the Academy Awards, where the wrong winner for Best Picture was announced due to a mix-up with the award envelopes. The mistake led to the wrong film, "La La Land," being initially awarded before the correct winner, "Moonlight," was recognized.

La La Land briefly won Best Picture for about 5 minutes until some Brokeback Mountain wannabe was announced as the actual winner.

After hearing that he was the father of his girlfriend's baby, some guy named Kev threw an envelope at Jeremy Kyle's head on air.

12 Pizzagate Pizzagate is a debunked conspiracy theory that emerged during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, falsely claiming that high-profile politicians were involved in a child trafficking ring operating out of a pizzeria. The baseless allegations led to real-world harassment and a shooting incident at the pizzeria.
13 Camillagate Camillagate is a scandal involving leaked intimate phone conversations between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in the early 1990s. The tapes, recorded in 1989, were published in 1993, causing significant public embarrassment for the British royal family.

The phone exchange between Prince Charles and his then-mistress (now his second wife) Camilla, where they both fantasized about him being her tampon. In fact, she wished that he was a whole box of tampons for her to use!

14 Gamergate Gamergate refers to a controversy in 2014 surrounding sexism and harassment in the video game industry, initially sparked by accusations of unethical relationships between game developers and journalists. The movement led to widespread discussions about gender representation and ethics in gaming journalism.
15 Nipplegate Nipplegate is the name given to the scandal during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show when Janet Jackson's breast was accidentally exposed by Justin Timberlake. The incident led to widespread media coverage, public controversy, and changes in broadcast regulations.

Super Bowl 2004 nipple incident. French people just don't understand.

16 Spygate Spygate is a term used to describe the 2007 scandal involving the New England Patriots, who were found guilty of illegally videotaping opponents' defensive signals during NFL games. The controversy resulted in fines and the loss of a first-round draft pick for the team.
17 Plebgate Plebgate is a political scandal in the UK from 2012, involving Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, who was accused of insulting police officers at Downing Street. The incident led to Mitchell's resignation and a prolonged legal and public relations battle.
18 Elsagate Elsagate is a term for the controversy surrounding inappropriate and disturbing videos featuring popular children's characters, such as Elsa from Frozen, on YouTube. These videos, often targeting young audiences, sparked concerns about content moderation and child safety online.
19 Whitewatergate Whitewatergate, commonly known as Whitewater, refers to the real estate scandal involving Bill and Hillary Clinton during the 1990s. The controversy centered around their investments in the Whitewater Development Corporation and led to multiple investigations.
20 Queuegate Queuegate is a scandal that emerged in 2022 involving the perceived preferential treatment given to certain individuals to bypass queues to pay respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The incident caused public dissatisfaction and debates over fairness and privilege.
21 Porngate Porngate refers to a scandal in India where several politicians were caught watching pornography on their mobile phones during a legislative session. The incident led to significant media attention and calls for the resignation of those involved.

In Indian politics, two politicians were caught watching porn during a special meeting.

22 Lochtegate Lochtegate refers to the controversy involving U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte during the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he falsely claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint. The incident led to public outrage and disciplinary actions against Lochte and other swimmers involved.
23 Oceangate Oceangate is a scandal involving the OceanGate company, which faced scrutiny and legal issues over safety concerns and mismanagement related to its deep-sea exploration missions. The controversy raised questions about regulatory oversight and maritime safety standards.
24 Cookiegate Cookiegate refers to a minor scandal involving former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who was criticized for suggesting that families could help reduce the national deficit by baking homemade cookies. The remarks were seen as out of touch and sparked public backlash.
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